Catching that thing called 'Fitness' one day at a time

My Least Favorite Phrase

In the past year or so I’ve begun to embrace the concept of locus of control(Vocab from a past business course I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to use. BAZINGA!), which is a fancy way of saying that you believe you have control over your life and what events take place in it. But that is not my least favorite phrase. So what is it then?

“I hope.”

Sometimes I hear people say things like, “I hope I can start losing some weight and getting into shape.” Now don’t get me wrong here, there is nothing wrong with having hope, and in fact it is a very good thing to have. This would be an extremely bleak world indeed without hope. The problem I have with this statement in this context though is that the phrase “I hope” indicates wishful thinking for things to change, but little to no commitment and determination by part of the person saying it to actually start making a change.

Be bold I tell you! Say, “I will!”

Now here is a statement I can get behind. I see the phrase “I will” in the context of fitness and health as meaning someone is taking responsibility to change an aspect of their life that will only get worse over time until it is properly addressed(This is where the locus of control connection comes in).

But it’s definitely harder to say.

A lot of people choose to just say “I hope” over “I will” when talking to others about personal dreams. And to be honest, I can understand why. The former doesn’t require you to prove anything to other people when you say it. Oftentimes it’s an empty statement. Anyone can say in conversation to a friend or family member, “I hope to lose some weight in the coming months” and the person they are talking to is likely going to nod their head in agreement because it is a good thing to want to be healthier and many people can relate to that. But the moment you say to a close friend, “I am done being obese, and I will make changes today to start losing weight”, the person is going to raise their eyebrow a bit and say, “Oh?”

That “Oh?” is a challenge. It could be a negative one that really means, “I bet you won’t” or truly a friendly supportive challenge, but it is a challenge all the same. Either way, it is a challenge worth not backing down from.

It takes a great deal of courage to switch from always making wishful “I hope” statements to just flat out telling the world “I will”. If you are someone who makes a lot of “I hope” statements, I openly challenge you to have the courage to say, “I will” and simultaneously accept that challenge that others present you with when you tell them your plans.